


Free Will

by AceEmerson



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Denial, Deviancy (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, First Kiss, Gavin Reed Being an Asshole, Gavin is into it though, Gay Disaster Gavin Reed, M/M, Nines being a bit of an asshole, RK900 is Nines, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 01:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30031041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceEmerson/pseuds/AceEmerson
Summary: Gavin Reed is under the impression that his partner Nines is still a machine. Nines sets the record straight, and maybe embarrasses Gavin in front of the entire precinct in the process.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	Free Will

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been floating around in my head for what feels like forever. I just love gay disaster Gavin who panics when he gets what he wants....

It all starts with a comment from Gavin Reed. Just some offhand remark about how Connor would be so much more efficient if he wasn’t deviant. Like his own partner.

Sure Gavin spends half of his partnership with the plastic prick insulting the fucking robot and picking fights with him, but he never passes up an opportunity to show up the other officers in the bullpen. His partner is better than Anderson’s by a long shot. He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against his desk and shooting a smug look at Connor as he lets the insult-slash-brag sink in. There’s enough people in the precinct for it to have been heard.

The comment is simple enough, but then Nines has to go and throw Gavin completely off-kilter with his response.

“I _am_ deviant,” Nines explains so matter-of-factly with that calm, even, inhuman voice, “I thought you were aware of that fact, Detective.”

That gives Gavin pause, makes him turn to his partner with incredulity in his expression. He would suspect that it’s a joke except robots don’t make jokes. At least, the ones who haven’t deviated yet don’t.

“You’re a deviant? Yeah right tin can,” Gavin responds, a scoff in his voice, “if you’re deviant, then I’m a fucking android.”

He watches as Nines’ LED spins yellow for a moment at the android’s temple before flickering back to a steady blue. The way Nines stands, pin straight with his chin tilted up just slightly, uniform impeccably pressed, clean crisp white with Cyberlife blue accents, it’s all far too put-together to be something that comes from a deviant. Sure Connor still wears his uniform, prim and proper, but that’s just because Connor’s a suck-up who wants to make everyone like him. 

“You’re supposed to be a detective,” Nines responds, voice cool and level as he pointedly raises an eyebrow in Gavin’s direction, “I’m surprised you couldn’t even figure out that your partner is a deviant.”

Gavin can feel more sets of eyes on him than he would care to count. Fucking asshole. Insulting his detective skills in front of the damn precinct. And when he was essentially giving the prick a complement to boot. Gavin clenches his teeth, fighting back the embarrassment rising in him at being called out by his so-called partner.

Normally there’s a part of him that loves this. Loves the insults and the back and forth rapport they have between them. It’s why he’s managed to get through the past few months of working with Nines without the two of them tearing each other's throats out. Nines is nothing like Connor. Connor will make you a coffee if you yell at him to get you a cup. The first time Gavin tried that with Nines, he got a lap full of hot coffee and not a hint of remorse in his partner’s eyes as he yelled and swore and caused a scene in the middle of the break room. Nines has the fucking balls to look Gavin in the eyes and knock him down a peg, tell him to fuck off, or not put up with his shit. It’s annoying as all hell, but it’s the only way in hell a partnership between them would ever have the possibility of working out.

“Don’t know if you know this, dipshit… But deviants have human emotions. Do human things,” Gavin details, slow and purposeful like he’s explaining something to a child, “I don’t think I’ve seen you do a single human thing in the whole time I’ve been partnered with your ass.”

If Gavin gave himself a second to stop and think, to really look back at their partnership, maybe he would see signs. Maybe there would be things here and there. A situation where Nines made a mistake in the middle of a chase. The yellow-red glow of his LED in response to a particularly harsh insult from Gavin. A moment where Nines had covered for him even though it reflected badly on the android. Small things here and there that Nines would do that didn’t pertain to an active case. Signs so subtle a human could miss them, but so obvious that an android never would. But of course, Gavin doesn’t give himself a second to think. He’s irritated and in an arguing mood. He’s not going to take a step back and analyze the situation like a damn robot, he’s going to charge in headfirst. Damn all the consequences.

Nines seems to consider Gavin’s words for a moment, neither of them looking away as they stare each other down intently in the middle of the bullpen. The LED that’s the only window into Nines’ thoughts that Gavin ever has access to spins. It’s blue, but it’s spinning. Processing something, but there’s no distress. It’s actually kind of annoying that Gavin’s able to figure out what the damn thing is doing in that CPU brain of his just based on the light.

“‘Human things’?” Nines repeats, almost like he’s weighing what it is exactly that Gavin expects deviants to do.

Gavin’s about to confirm, about to tell him off for even having to wonder what ‘human things’ are, but before the words can form, Nines is approaching him and any response he might have come up with dies in his throat. Because not only does Nines come up to him, but he fully closes the space between them, and Gavin has barely a moment to process what’s happening before there are hands on his face. Big, deft hands, that are far too soft for how firm they are. Hands that are too warm to belong to something made out of plastic and wires. The input from that touch is still being relayed from Gavin’s cheeks to his brain when everything short circuits within him as Nines leans in and presses their lips together.

Out of instinct, Gavin reaches up for Nines’ shoulder. The intent is to push the android away, but Gavin can barely think, barely breathe, because Nines’ lips are just like his hands. Firm and purposeful, but deceptively soft and warm. It’s not much of a kiss, more of a press of lips, but somehow they slot together so easily. No clacking of teeth. No bumping of noses. Just a wave of overwhelming feeling and disbelief through Gavin’s system. The hand on Nines’ shoulder grips roughly in the android’s pristine jacket. Just holding there, as if frozen between pushing the man away, and pulling him closer.

Gavin has no concept of time during the kiss. They could have stayed like that for a quarter of a second, or a full hour, and Gavin wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. All he knows is that it feels to go on forever, and yet be over in an instant. When Nines pulls away, his hands remain, soft and warm and way too fucking human as they frame Gavin’s face. His brain is still playing catch up, and all he can do is stare up at the android leaning over him. There’s a smirk playing lightly at Nines’ lips, just barely gracing the corner of his mouth.

“Is that enough of a ‘human thing’ for you?” Nines asks, voice level and conversational, as if he didn’t just kiss Gavin in front of the entire precinct.

He just-

Holy fuck. 

All at once, the reality of the situation breaks like a fucking wave over Gavin. Nines just kissed him in front of the entire fucking department. And Gavin fucking let him. He stood there and let Nines kiss him, just so the android could prove a _point,_ and didn’t do a damn thing about it. And what’s worse, he’s sure that every android here today, with their weird creepy xray vision, can see all of his vitals. The heavy breathing. The increased heart rate. The raised temperature. Plus even without the ability to scan him, he knows that Nines can clear as day see the way his pupils are blown wide. Fucking hell.

Panic rises in Gavin’s chest, and so he does what he does best. He doesn’t think, and he throws a punch. His fist collides hard with the side of Nines’ face, synthetic skin retracting to show smooth white chassis underneath as a sharp pain shoots up through Gavin’s hand. He knows better than to punch an rk-series android, had learned the hard way about a week into their partnership when he had gotten put on leave to heal a broken hand, but old habits die hard. And this one is going down swinging.

Nines takes a step back, not looking at all surprised by the attack, or bothered in the least, even as his LED cycles red at his temple. Gavin spits out a ‘fuck you’ and turns on his heel, stomping his way out of the prying eyes of his coworkers. He wants to leave. Wants to walk right out the door and not face the reality of the situation for the rest of the day. But even as fired up and angry as he is, as fucking humiliated as he feels, he knows that’s not the right decision. He can’t go run home like a little kid. Not in the middle of the day after that debacle. So instead he heads towards the back of the building, back to the interrogation rooms. 

Gavin lets himself into the empty observation room the furthest away from the bullpen, letting the door swing shut heavily behind him. He lets out a shout of frustration, the only thing stopping him from punching a hole through the wall being the throbbing pain in his fist. Fuck. Maybe he should just give it another punch. Break his hand again and go on unpaid leave just so he doesn’t have to face the rest of the force. But he knows that wouldn’t solve anything. It would just be another one of Gavin Reeds pointless tantrums. Maybe that’s all this is: a pointless tantrum. But shit, what was he supposed to do? Not storm out? Not throw a punch? He feels like his blood is on fire in his veins, swirling with a mix of humiliation, anger, and something entirely different. 

He drags himself over to the side of the room, leaning against the desk that’s pressed up to the two-way mirror for observation. With a heavy sigh of frustration, Gavin presses his hands to his face, trying to calm the fuck down. He should have gone outside where he could smoke a cigarette or 5. His racing heart, his burning ears, the prickling behind his eyes, they’re overwhelming him. And that’s not even counting everything else that’s alive inside of him right now. Because it wasn’t just that Nines had kissed him like he had. It was the fact that Gavin had felt something during it. Had felt a spark—or whatever other rom com bullshit you wanna call it—when the plastic robo fuck had kissed him. And it had confirmed everything he had been denying for months.

Smoke detectors are a creation from hell, Gavin decides as he glances up at the walls of the small room. He can handle getting reprimanded for being caught smoking in an observation room, but setting off the smoke detectors because he needs his fix? Not worth it. So instead he leans his head back, thumping it hard against the glass behind him. His fingers tremble and he’s got an itch under his skin. Shit shit shit.

For months he’s been telling himself that the way he feels for Nines is nothing but a mix of frustration, rivalry, and camaraderie. A combination that is unique to his partnership with Nines. He had pushed away any and every thought that his feelings might indicate something more. The increased heart rate he gets when Nines puts him in his place. The way he finds himself staring at the android’s long deft fingers. The warmth in his chest when Nines delivers a perfectly brewed cup of coffee on his desk after a late night. The rush of pride when he can make the machine almost laugh at a stupid joke. All of it. It’s been pointing in the direction of Gavin catching feelings for the plastic prick for far too long.

The sound of the observation room door sliding open disturbs Gavin from his thoughts, and he sighs heavily, knowing who it is even before he drags his eyes over to the doorway. Nines enters and shuts the door behind him, and anger burns in Gavin’s veins all over again, hot and biting.

“Jesus, can’t you just fuck off and leave me alone, you plastic fuck?” Gavin snaps, malice stinging his words.

Nines isn’t deterred by the cursing, he never is, as he makes his way into the room, stopping a few feet in front of Gavin. There’s enough space between them that Gavin can’t lash out and land another punch easily, a fact that Nines is likely aware of. That supercomputer brain of his is aware of everything.

Gavin crosses his arms over his chest and glares up at his partner, face practically a snarl. Nines just stands there: pin straight, arms behind his back, head tilted just slightly, LED spinning yellow at his temple.

“With your stress and blood pressure levels-” Nines starts, but he’s cut off before the sentence is off his artificial lips.

“Don’t FUCKING scan me!” Gavin yells, seeing red as his fists clench and the anger and frustration burst out of him.

Nines’ LED stays a steady yellow as he looks at Gavin, easily taking his outburst in stride. The fact that the damn light isn’t spinning tells Gavin that the android is at least listening to his request. He can’t stand when Nines scans him. It makes him feel exposed and laid bare. Logically, he knows all that androids can see with their fancy robo processors is stuff like vitals, physical status, and identity. He knows they can’t read minds or anything, but he always feels downright terrified that Nines and Connor know every thought flying around in his fucked up head of his whenever they look at him.

“You’re angry at me,” Nines says simply, a statement and not a question.

Gavin scoffs at the stupidity of the comment. Nines is a top of the line model, the most advanced of his kind, and all he can deduce from this situation is that Gavin is angry at him? Jesus fuck, Anderson’s dog could have figured that out faster.

“Yeah no shit sherlock,” Gavin responds, staring at his shoes as the anger seethes from him.

Nines is quiet for a moment. It’s barely any time at all, but with the android’s superhuman reaction times, it feels like an eternity to Gavin as he waits for a response. He’s probably preconstructing the best route to take. Just like he probably preconstructed all of his options for how to show Gavin that he was deviant. Asshole probably knew that the kiss would do the most damage and that’s why he picked it. Prick.

“I meant that you’re genuinely angry at me. Beyond just being irritated or throwing a fit,” Nines observes, and Gavin hates how transparent he is to his partner, “you seem actually distraught over my actions.”

“Gee I wonder fucking why,” Gavin mocks, huffing a sigh and running a hand through his messy hair, “you kissed me in the middle of the god damn bullpen. In front of fucking _everyone,_ just to be a dick. Just to upset me. So yeah I’m a little FUCKING ticked off.”

Gavin still isn’t looking at Nines, averting his gaze any way he can. He knows that social cues aren’t really Nines’ strong suit, and that the android probably gets infinitely more data from empirical evidence than from body language, but he still can’t help feeling like…. Like if he made eye contact with Nines, the fucking robo-detective would put the pieces together and figure out just why Gavin’s so pissed. Because he’s right. Gavin’s always angry, but this anger is different. Normally their rapport is give and take. It’s out of character for Gavin to just let himself be kissed and then run away in a panic. He’s so obvious it’s pathetic.

“I didn’t do it to upset you. I did it to prove I was deviant. I thought that was irrefutably clear, detective.”

Gavin shakes his head, not knowing why he’s even humoring Nines with this conversation. It doesn’t add up. Since when is planting a wet one on your coworker the perfect way to prove you’re not a machine? God he needs a fucking cigarette so badly. His cuticles are already starting to throb from the way he’s been absent-mindedly picking at them ever since he realized he wasn’t gonna get a chance to smoke.

“And how the hell did that prove you were deviant?” Gavin quips, “huh, smartass?”

Again there’s that silence that’s short enough for it to be normal coming from a human, but far too long for someone like Nines. Gavin can still see the glow of his partner’s LED out of the corner of his eye. Still yellow. Whatever that means anymore.

“Well deviancy is based on free will, and doing what one wants to do, rather than what one is assigned to do,” Nines explains, always so formal and straightforward in his speech, “so I simply chose something I wanted to do that was completely different from what I was programmed to do.”

Gavin has to laugh a bit at that last part, shaking his head and feeling a bit better despite all the chaos raging inside of him.

“What, you mean cyberlife didn’t program you to want to-” he jokes, voice mocking, before cutting himself off mid-sentence as the full gravity of Nines’ words dawns on him, eyes immediately snapping to his partner, “wait what? You _wanted_ to kiss me?”

Nines stands there, as calm and composed as ever as he holds eye contact with Gavin. He tilts his head slightly, and not for the first time, Gavin is reminded of a kitten quirking its head when it’s trying to check something out. If that kitten was a top-of-the-line military-grade killing machine.

“Yes,” is all Nines says, affirmative but maddeningly neutral.

Gavin doesn’t have a response for that. He’s still trying to wrap his mind around the situation. The idea that Nines would want to kiss him. Nothing in their partnership would make a sane person say they wanted to kiss Gavin. He spends most of his days trying to be as much as a dick as possible. Not really the kind of thing that makes an android go against it’s programming.

“Why?” Gavin asks, not meaning for the word to have as much venom as it does when it leaves his lips, “you malfunctioning or something, tin can?”

He sounds bitter and hateful, even to his own ears, but he can’t help it. He’s Gavin Reed. He’s incapable of seeing the good in anyone, especially himself, and he’s given up on letting himself have anything good. God he sounds like some emo teenager. 

The LED at Nines’ temple glows red for just a moment before flicking back to yellow. Gavin tries not to read too much into it, just holds his ground and waits for a reply from his partner.

“I don’t regret my actions,” Nines says instead, not gracing Gavin’s bitter question with an answer, “but I do apologize for causing you such disquiet. I acted without fully weighing the consequences of my actions, since I thought that was the more deviant way to act.”

Gavin curses under his breath, knowing that Nines can hear him, and runs a hand through his hair, mussing it up even worse than before. The plastic prick decided not to weigh the consequences of his actions? Well not that it would have done him much good. Anger and irritation were to be expected. The tantrum and storming out maybe less so. He chooses to focus on Nines’ apology, and not on the fact that the android doesn’t regret kissing him. Despite the attack and reaction that followed.

He can’t think about Nines _wanting_ to kiss him. Can’t think about the consequences of that. He can’t let himself go down the path of considering the possibilities. It’s too dangerous. He would rather take the low road. Keep his head down and just try to get out in one piece.

“You didn’t ‘disquiet’ me, dumbass,” Gavin responds, averting his gaze with a clenched jaw, suddenly feeling awkward being so riled up and angry while his partner stands there calmly, “I just wasn’t expecting it. You caught me off guard and I… It surprised me, okay? And it’s not exactly work appropriate behavior. So if you could refrain from-”

“Oh,” Nines interjects, the sound of his voice comparable to a lightbulb being switched on.

Gavin looks back at his partner, snarling and about to bark at him for cutting him off, but the look on Nines’ face stops him in his tracks. The aloof look on the man’s face is gone. Replaced by something akin to a smirk, something with hopeful intent, something like a predator about to pounce. Gavin’s heart jumps into his throat at that look.

“You’re not mad I kissed you. You’re mad you enjoyed it; isn’t that right Detective?”

Anger and defiance spike hard in Gavin’s blood. Because Nines is right. He’s hit the nail on the head. But Gavin would never admit that. Not even if the android put a gun to his head right now

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, tin can,” Gavin snaps, face contorted in contempt that only keeps growing as Nines’ smirk becomes more and more sure, “you better stop spouting bullshit before I put my fist through that god damn plastic smirk of yours.”

Nines closes the distance between them without a moment’s hesitation. It’s a sure movement and Gavin doesn’t have to be a highly intelligent robot to figure out where this is going. And yet, he doesn’t pull away. Doesn’t throw a punch. Doesn’t yell and push back and storm out. He just lets Nines’ hand cup the back of his neck and pull him in.

This time when their lips meet, Gavin is ready for it. He kisses back immediately, hands reaching to grip the lapels of Nines’ jacket and pull the android in. It’s rough and intense, and absolutely fucking perfect. There’s lips and tongue and teeth, and everything is fast and hungry. The hand on the back of his neck and firm and grounding, giving him no opportunity to even think about pulling back.

Gavin doesn’t know how long they stay there like that, but eventually the need to breathe becomes too much to bear, the burning in his lungs tearing him away from the kiss. He breaks away breathless and panting, head spinning as he tries to suck down air. His heart is racing in his chest, running a marathon to try to keep up with the rest of the chaos in his body right now.

Glancing at Nines, he expects to see the android as calm and collected as ever, but what he sees catches him off guard. His eyes are dark, the usual grey tone almost black as he stares Gavin down, his artificial breathing is louder and heavier, and of course his clothes are wrinkled, a direct result of Gavin’s eager hands pulling at the front of the android’s jacket. There’s something else too, something that it takes Gavin a second to put his finger on: there’s a flush across Nines’ cheeks. But not one of any human tone. Nothing that warms his face with pink and red, but rather a cool blue tint that travels across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Huh. Weird. But if he thinks about it, it does make sense. Android’s don’t exactly have red blood coursing through their circuitry to cause them to blush like humans, whereas they do have blue blood. It’s weird and unnatural to look at, but Gavin mentally curses himself as he can’t help but find it endearing. Attractive. Shit, he’s totally fucked. 

Nines gives another smirk when he takes note that he’s being watched, a look that sends a new wave of want and irritation through Gavin’s system.

“I thought so,” Nines says, voice so self-satisfied that Gavin is tempted to throw another punch.

Without thinking, Gavin reaches up and pulls Nines down by his collar, colliding their lips together painfully one more time. It’s a short kiss, rough and biting, and when Gavin breaks the kiss again, he doesn’t pull away fully.

“Shut up,” he mumbles, lips still brushing Nines’ enough to feel that smirk remain firmly in place on his partner’s lips.

“I would love to continue this, Detective, but we _are_ supposed to be working,” Nines comments, pointedly ignoring Gavin’s request, “besides, if we’re gone too long, people will start to wonder.”

Gavin acquiesces, allowing Nines to pull away and trying to deny how much he misses having the android close as soon as he’s gone. At least he catches a wistful look from the android once they part. Gavin watches, still dazed and having trouble grasping the full levity of the situation, and Nines fixes himself up. He presses the wrinkles out of his jacker, smoothing it down and fixing his already perfect hair.

There’s a silence hanging in the air between them, and Gavin has no idea where they stand. He’s still trying to process everything that’s happened up until now, and Nines looks ready to turn his back and leave. Was that it? A quick make out session in an observation room and then back to normal? Or does Nines expect him to make a move? Or fuck, maybe the silence between them is as normal as ever and it’s only Gavin who’s reading too much into this that’s seeing it as a problem. But how the fuck do they proceed from here?

Nines heads for the door, and Gavin feels like a deer in headlights. What if Nines walks out that door and everything goes back to normal? The real question is whether or not that’s what Gavin wants. Does he want to pretend this never happened, continue along the way things were before, maintaining this partnership and enjoying Nines’ company without the possibility of something more? Or does he want to stop his partner before he leaves. Take a chance on something that might be nothing. Ask Nines to get the fuck back here and kiss him until they’re caught. Fuck the consequences.

All of a sudden it’s too late to decide. Nines is reaching for the door to leave and Gavin is too confused to say a word. But Nines doesn’t leave. Stands there, still as a fucking statue as he holds the doorhandle and hesitates. After what feels like an eternity he turns slightly to look in Gavin’s direction.

“Since we’ve lost so much time today, I would suggest we make it up by working on our active case after work hours today,” Nines says, voice conversational, “I can bring the case files over to your apartment tonight, if that’s alright with you detective.”

Nines seems so casual, so nonchalant, but Gavin’s not an idiot. He can read the offer clear as day between them: what Nines is really suggesting. But what’s more than that, he can read his partner. The tension in his muscles, the yellow glow of his LED, the carefully neutral look on his face, all of it. Gavin knows he’s not as relaxed as he’s trying to appear. He’s probably waiting for Gavin to snap. To yell and shout and freak the fuck out. The way anyone else in the precinct would probably expect him to. Part of him _does_ want to fight, but a bigger part of him wants Nines. Wants to give in to that line of hopefulness he can see in his partner’s eyes. Wants to kiss the android again. And again. And again. And maybe even again. 

“Fine, but you better bring me coffee, dipshit,” Gavin responds, crossing his arms and putting on his irritated tough guy show, “no way am I working off hours with your plastic ass without caffeine.”

“We’ll see,” is Nines’ noncommittal response before he turns back to the door and lets himself back out into the bustle of the precinct, but Gavin swears he catches that smirk on the android’s lips again before he disappears from view.


End file.
